Share

January’s Bird-of-the month is Green Heron (Butorides virescens). It has just been named the ABA’s Bird-of-the-Year, so we echo that accolade here.It is one of The Valley’s most secretive water birds, liking to fish from cover of overhanging trees and bushes. It has even been observed fishing: so what on earth is unusual about a heron fishing, you ask? Well I mean that Green Herons have been videoed (look on YouTube) picking up bread thrown to ducks by people, flying to a more secluded spot, dropping the bread in the water and then catching the small fish as they surface to feed on the bread. Pretty clever, eh?! Watch here.
I have found that the best place to encounter Green Herons in The Valley is at Edinburgh Scenic Wetlands, though will no doubt have your own stake out.
Green Heron is a common breeding bird, especially in the eastern United States. The race we get in The Valley is virescens, while the anthonyi race can be found on the Pacific coast.
So the next time you are by a quiet pool or Resaca, just make sure you check underneath the overhanging vegetation to see if you can find one of these beautiful, small herons. It really is worth the effort.
Pic courtesy of Hurmann Luyken

If you Enjoy Bird Watching and Nature, South Texas is Waiting for you! Texas offers the richest bird watching in USA – 630 species, more than any other state. The Lower Rio Grande Valley offers the richest birding in Texa...

The pear like fruit of the well-known prickly pear cactus is consumed more by wildlife than by the people of the Rio Grande Valley. In neighboring Mexico the tuna (fruit of the cactus) is the main ingredient of traditional ...